Dark Visions: A Horror Anthology You Won’t Want to Miss
Posted: October 12, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Speculative Fiction, Stories | Tags: Book Review, Dan Alatorre, Dark Visions, horror, Short Fiction 27 Comments
October is the month for scary things, and a horror anthology filled with spine chilling short stories from over thirty authors is the perfect read for the season. The release of Dan Alatorre’s compilation of Dark Visions anthology is October 15th, and you won’t want to miss it. In addition to a wonderfully original and entertaining prologue, and his own story, “The Corner Shop”, Dan has lined up a slew of writing talent to include in this tomb of short horror tales.
Not only does this anthology have a very cool cover, (Check it out above), but it also has some very well crafted short fiction, some that will stay with you in times to come. These shorts cover a wide spectrum of horrors; nightmares, voodoo, vampires, apparitions and spirits, and even demons. The stories found here prey upon your inner fears, making brief little ditties from the stuff of nightmares.
None of the stories I read from this collection would rate less than three quills, meaning even the mediocre stories are pretty good. Among my favorites are “The Devil’s Hollow”, by Adele Marie Park; “Road Kill”, by Ernesto San Giacomo; “Behind the Leather Apron”, by Alana Turner; “The Bloody Dagwood Tree”, by Dabry Farmer; and “Ice Cream”, by Geoff LePard.
Not to say that other stories in this volume are not noteworthy. Many of these stories will keep you awake at night, including: “The Haunting of William”, by Robbie Cheadle; “Nightmare”, by Lori Micken; “Swimming”, by Frank Parker; “Lucifer’s Revenge”, by Christine Valentor; “What If”, by Geoff LePard; “Ghosts of Tupelo” by Sharon Cathcart; “Where the Black Tree Grows”, by M.D. Walker; “The Right Time to Move”, by Jennifer Ruff; “The Stranger”, by Allison Maruska; “The Storm”, by J.A. Allen; and “Spirit Lake”, by Sharron Connell.
I may be difficult to please when it comes to short fiction, because I like my stories to feel complete and often short fiction fails on those lines, but most of the tales in this collection did not fail to satisfy. Most of them were also a little creepy, which is essential when it comes to horror. And, did I mention it has a really cool cover? Put all of that together, and I give Dark Visions five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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“Doomed to Repeat”: A Mystery in History
Posted: October 5, 2018 Filed under: Action/Adventure, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller | Tags: Action, Book Review, mystery, Tim Baker, Time, Time travel 1 Comment
Doomed to Repeat is author Tim Baker’s latest crazy crime novel, complete with his usual cast of lovable characters; Ike, Brewski, Ralph Donabedian and the Golden Lion Staff.
Ike and Brewski get a blast from the past when Nazis with amnesia show up in Flagler Beach. As they work to unravel the mystery of how they came to be in this time, while trying to stay one step ahead of the white supremicist who is trying to muscle Ralph Donabedian and the other Flagler Beach business owners into selling all of their properties, they learn their new found friends may hold the evidence to prove two great historical myths to be truths. But, with the bad guys, the C.I.A. and the Russians all closing in, can they save their new found friends and the secrets they carry with them without getting themselves killed or letting their secrets fall into the wrong hands?
When you pick up a novel set in Flagler Beach, and find Ike and Brewski sitting in the middle of it, you know the story will be entertaining, and Doomed to Repeat does not disappoint. I give it five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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“Twisted”: An Unusual Body Switching Tale
Posted: September 21, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, romance, Romantic Comedy, Speculative Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Dark Fantasty, Humor, Paranormal Romance, RA Winter, Speculative Fiction, Twisted, vampires, werewolves 3 Comments
We’ve all heard tales which involved body switching, but what does one do when they are switched into the body of, not only the opposite sex, but that of a different species, one that is your sworn enemy? Twisted is a Vampire Werewolf Freaky Friday novelette, by R.A. Winter which deals with just such a delimma. And the worst part is, they are going to have to work together if they want to save their world.
This funny, quirky novelette explores the unthinkable and makes it believable and entertaining. The humor is on the adult side and may be a little over the top for the YA crowd, but it will keep the pages turning. It’s a fun read andI give Twisted five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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The Well-Fed Writer: How to make your writing pay
Posted: September 14, 2018 Filed under: Books, Copywriting, Nonfiction, Writing | Tags: Advertising, Book Review, Brochures, Commercial Copywriting, Emails, Flyers, Newletters, Peter Bowerman, The Well-Fed Writer, White Papers 4 Comments
As some of my friends and followers know, I’m determined to turn my writing into my full time job. With that in mind, I’ve been delving into the arena of commercial copywriters, because it’s something I can do from my home office, it involves my favorite activity of writing and allows me to make money from it, and it is something I can start out at part-time and move into full time as the money starts rolling in.
The Well-Fed Writer, by Peter Bowerman should be required reading for all freelance copywriters. Bowerman is himself a successful freelance commercial copywriter, sharing his knowledge and experience, as well as a collection of advice from other freelancers.
This book is a basic guide to building a lucrative freelance commercial copywriting service, covering everything from gaining and dealing with clients to the different types of copywriting skills there are to add to your repetoir. It offers advice from successful copywriters who are making their freelance businesses work for them and makiing their writing pay. Although it does not feature many examples of the different types of copywriting projects you might want to offer, it does give links where you can find samples and explore those avenues; from white papers, to emails, to newsletters, to brochures and flyers. And Bowerman offers suggestions for other useful books you may want as well.
The way I see it, this book is like a bare basics copywriter’s handbook, and no copywriter that is serious about his or her craft should be without it. I found The Well-Fed Writer to be very helpful in knowing which direction I need to go to get my own commercial copywriting service off the ground. I give it five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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“Destiny’s Detour”: Not Really Romance
Posted: September 7, 2018 Filed under: Books, Memoir, romance | Tags: Book Review, Destiny's Detour, Mari Brown, romance Leave a comment
Although Destiny’s Detour, by Mari Brown, may contain a happily ever after, I can’t really classify it as romance, because their HEA is more of a happy all the way through. For me, part of the fun of romance, or any story really is finding out how the characters will resolve conflict and overcome obstacles which are preventing them from achieving their goal.
For romance, that goal is usually for the couple in question to build and maintain a romantic relationship. In Destiny’s Detour, the worst conflict I found was that the captain of the dance team doesn’t like Destiny, which really doesn’t cause a problem because it seems no one really cares what Buffy thinks anyway. Although her brother David doesn’t like the ‘mushy stuff’ when it involves his sister, he is supportive of her relationship with Troy, so there’s not a lot of tension there either.
Brown writes this story in first person, present tense, which can be difficult to do, but Brown pulls is off fairly well. Destiny tells us what happens and what she is feeling, but I’d like to see more of the action. Instead of telling me she’s excited, I’d like to feel her heart beating as if it were trying to come through her chest wall.
Destiny’s Detour is a cute feel good story. It just doesn’t have a lot of tension to make me want to keep reading. I give it three quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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DARE: The sex is the story line
Posted: August 24, 2018 Filed under: Adult, Book Review, Books, Erotica, Fiction | Tags: Adult Fiction, Book Review, DARE, Erotica, James Crow 1 Comment
Most erotic stories get categorized as romance, for obvious reasons, and many erotic stories read like a romance with erotic scenes tossed in here and there to spice things up. Or the opposite, so much erotica it’s hard to find the story line, it seems everyone in the tale is having random sex for the sake of having sex, and there doesn’t seem to be much point to the tale.
Neither can be said for DARE, by James Crow. A tale where I found that the sex scenes carried the story. At times the flashbacks out weighed the present scenes and multiple sexual encounters play out for us simultaneously, but they are all relevant to the main story line. But reader beware, DARE goes beyond the erotic and into the realm of very twisted kink, and is definitely aimed at very mature audiences. To be honest, I found the subject matter a little shocking, but the matter-of-fact British tone that discusses atrocities as if they were run of the mill, everyday occurances may have something to do with the shock factor.
I’m not sure how I feel about this story, but it is an interesting approach to story telling, with a surprise twist at the end, so I give DARE four quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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“The Affected”: A Tale of Horror
Posted: August 17, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Speculative Fiction, Suspense | Tags: Book Review, Demons, horror, James McNally, The Affected Leave a comment
There’s nothing like a good horror story. The Affected, by James McNally is a tale of horror straight from the pits of hell. This story is not for the feint of heart due to the heineous acts contained within.
Random town’s people are vanishing, or being murdered, but whatever is going on, there won’t be any town left if someone doesn’t figure it out and put a stop to it, and soon. And then there is the strange man in white who has been appearing to some residents and seems to be stalking them, there one moment and gone the next. The mystery unravel, but can this demonical surge be stopped before there is no one left?
Although I found a few logic flaws throughout, the story is so well plotted, overlooking them came easy. A plot worthy of the classic horror tales. I give The Affected four quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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Songs of Earth: A Teller’s Tale
Posted: August 10, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, World Building | Tags: Book Review, Eugene W. Cundiff, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Songs of the Earth Leave a comment
The title is Songs of Earth: A Teller’s Tale, and the author, Eugene W. Cundiff is a story teller in following with the best of the tradition. A well-crafted science fiction post-apocalyptic story, with excellent world building, this book keeps the pages turning. Cundiff captures the imagination and doesn’t let go. I didn’t want to put it down.
Songs of Earth is a tale of an abandoned civilization, left by the Mongers, those who came before them, to fend for themselves in a harsh environment as best they could. On Luna, Elisheva is a Teller’s apprentice until the terraforming technology that enables their existence quits and she is sent with a group of Miners, a Marshall and an Engineer, on a journey into the wastelands, from which no one ever returns, to attempt repairs. In thier quest to save thier people, they uncover the secrets the Mongers never intended them to discover and travel much farther than any of them ever imagined they would have to repair the damaged machinery. And they solve the mystery of what happened to those who went into the wasteland before them, including Elisheva’s brother, but they aren’t the answers Elisheva had hoped to find.
Songs of Earth follows story telling traditions in exquisite form. I give it five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
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“Love Me Tender”: A Romance of Convenience
Posted: August 3, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, romance | Tags: Book Review, Elvis, Love Me Tender, Mimi Barbour, romance Leave a comment
What a great idea to title and theme your romances so each matches an Elvis song. I picked up this book because of the title, so I guess it works. Love Me Tender, By Mimi Barbour, is a true romance, although the circumsatances unfold and solutions resolve a little too conveniently. Girl meets boy, falls in love, but numerous obstacles keep them apart until the story unfolds and they have an epiphany that they must be together and they live happily ever after.
Love Me Tender is a touching and compelling story of what happens when two very different worlds collide. Anne comes from France to stay on a Texas ranch, owned by Rose and her husband, where she falls for the rancher’s son, Clint. They have one night together, which he was too drunk to remember, but Anne comes away with a precious keepsake of that night, her son, Max. After eight years, Rose is dying and she asks Anne to return to help her granddaughter adjust to the eventual loss. But, Anne isn’t the only one with a secret and Clint’s ex-wife is back in town. Can Anne break through the hardened shell that Clint has surrounded himself with?
This romance has all the right elements, but conflict seems to be resolved too easily. I give Love Me Tender three quills.
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“Zomnibus: Two Zombie Detective Novels in One Book
Posted: July 27, 2018 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Dark Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Post-Apocalyptic, Speculative Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Comedy, Crime novel, Detective stories, Humor, Kevin J. Anderson, Speculative Fiction, Zomnibus 6 Comments
In Zomnibus, by New York Times best selling author, Kevin J. Anderson each case is a short tale in the unlife of a zombie detective. In the world following the Big Uneasy and the return from death en mas, vampires may be victims, ghosts can be discriminated against, zombie’s might be graffitti artists and ogres serve as security guards. Together with his human business partner and his ghost of a girlfriend, Dan Shamble detective agency solves cases for both living and unnatural clients.
These zombie detective tales are carefully crafted to keep your attention and tickle your funny bone. Anderson’s light tone and corny humor guarantee the Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. tales will evoke at least a few chuckles. I give Zomnibus five quills.
Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
